Best Local SEO Tools for Boosting Your Business Presence Online

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Best Local SEO Tools for Boosting Your Business Presence Onlined-tags
16 May 2023
As a local business owner, it’s crucial to ensure your store, restaurant, or gym shows up on search results when your prospects do local searches. Using the reports generated by the best local SEO tools helps you target website traffic and welcome more in-store customers. With those insights, you can improve your visibility to the people searching for businesses like yours in your area.

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Without optimizing your website for local searches, the chances of making your local brand easily discoverable in SERP are almost nonexistent. Without a doubt, local SEO Services helps your small business – no matter if that’s a car repair garage, pet groomer, or florist’s shop – get in front of the people who are searching for your services or goods in your town or city.

Once your location pops up on Google Maps, you’re million times more likely to welcome the very searcher in your walk-in store or office. Having no Google My Business account (note: creating an account is one of the local SEO basic elements) equals missing out on opportunities to connect with potential customers who are searching for businesses like yours online.

A thought-out local search engine optimization strategy provides your business with a huge competitive advantage, which leads to higher customer retention. This is consequently followed by higher conversion rates, which is extremely important, especially for small businesses that struggle to get online visibility and enhance credibility. The latter largely depends on acquiring a number of positive customer reviews.

Without question, when you manage to play your local SEO strategy right, you may expect your website’s ranking, online visibility, and leads to increase significantly. No matter if you offer services or products, there is no better way for you to improve your business footfall than by using local SEO tools to devise a proper local SEO plan.

Not sure how to build your local SEO plan? Check the Local SEO Guide for inspiration and actionable insights!

What are the best local SEO tools best for your business? The below list will help you find an answer to this question.

List of the Best Local Keyword Research Tools

Local keyword research tools help you find phrases that are relevant to your business and location. In other words, those tools let you create a list of keywords that your target audience uses for its local search. Later, you can optimize your web content for those phrases, thus improving your chances of ranking higher in local search results.

What are the best local SEO tools for researching keywords that are being used by your prospects in your area?

Google Keyword Planner

? company website

Google Keyword Planner

? license 

free, but if you want to access in-depth insights, you need to run a Google Ad campaign

⭐rating*

G2 4.3 / 5 1,852 reviews see the reviews
GetApp 4.5 / 5 790 reviews see the reviews
Trustpilot 1.3 / 5 256 reviews see the reviews

*the above star rating relates to Google Ads; Google Keyword Planner is an in-built tool that can be accessed only via Google Ads

Google Keyword Planner is undoubtedly one of the most popular and reliable keyword research tools. Its biggest asset is that it gives you much-desired access to Google’s vast data on search queries. It also provides you with insights into the competition for specific keywords in your area. It can even help you identify keyword trends emerging in your niche.

When you create your account (you need to have a Google Ads account first), you can generate keyword ideas based on your offer. Later, you need to filter the results by your location to get the full list of the queries typed by your target audience in your local area.

In case you would like to run a paid advertising campaign, there is no better tool to use than Google Keyword Planner. As it’s integrated with Google Ads, it helps you easily identify the most relevant and cost-effective keywords for your local ad campaigns.

Using Google Keyword Planner as a Local SEO Tool helps you

  • generate location-specific keyword ideas
  • prioritize keywords thanks to rich search volume and competition data
  • group ads and bid estimates for potential advertising campaigns
  • manage Google Ads campaign seamlessly

Ubersuggest

? company website

Ubersuggest

?license

pricing plan ranges from $29 to $99 per month

⭐rating

G2 4.2 / 5 106 reviews see the reviews
Trustpilot 3.9 / 5 129 reviews see the reviews

Ubersuggest offers a bunch of extra functionalities that distinguish it from other popular SEO tools. It’s said to provide its user with in-depth information including Keyword Difficulty, Related Keywords, and Estimated Visits. Also, Ubersuggest can be integrated with content marketing tools such as Moz and Social Media Examiner.

When it comes to its local SEO abilities, Ubersuggest shows you local keyword suggestions, including even those related to long tail keywords. This information is based on a given region or city, which obviously helps you craft better copies and speak to the target audience searching for your business in your area.

Finally, with this tool, you can also have an insight into the cost-per-click data for specific keywords. This is an excellent aid to prioritize your keyword targeting based on the potential traffic – it allows you to measure the cost-effectiveness of a given keyword.

Using Ubersuggest as a Local SEO Tool helps you

  • generate locally relevant keywords thanks to the keyword suggestions feature
  • make better strategic decisions thanks to providing keyword difficulty and search volume metrics
  • come up with content ideas for targeting local customers
  • identify industry trends thanks to the in-build competitive analysis feature

Moz Local

? company website

Moz Local

?license 

pricing plan ranges from $14 to $20 per month

⭐rating

G2 4.3 / 5 471 reviews see the reviews
GetApp 4.3 / 5 31 reviews see the review

Moz Local falls into the group of top local SEO tools that helps businesses manage their local listings, thus successfully improving their local SEO. Its wide range of functionalities and features significantly eases the process of optimizing online presence and increasing visibility in local search results.

Even though Moz Local isn’t primarily a keyword research tool, it has a couple of super useful features that help you do local keyword research. Also, based on your business and location, this tool can provide you with keyword suggestions. This way you can identify relevant keywords and use them for your local SEO strategy.

One of the best things about this tool is the citation analysis. This feature shows you the localize the mentions of various types of information concerning your business (e.g. phone number, address) across a number of review sites (including Facebook and Google Maps). This way you can keep an eye on what is said about your business, thus clearing up some issues if necessary.

Using Moz Local as a Local SEO Tool helps you

  • do local keyword research
  • understand local search results better thanks to the SERP analysis feature
  • evaluate your site performance by analyzing the keyword tracking and ranking reports
  • improve your local visibility thanks to comprehensive on-page optimization recommendations

List of the Best Local Citation & Listing Management Tools

Local citation and listing management tools are software applications that help local business owners manage their local online presence. Those tools allow you to find, update, create, and – most of all – monitor your business listings on various review platforms and directories.

BrightLocal

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BrightLocal

?license 

pricing plan ranges from $35 to $90 per month

⭐rating

G2 4.3 / 5 471 reviews see the reviews
GetApp 4.8 / 5 253 reviews see the reviews
Gartner Peer Insights 5 / 5 2 reviews see the reviews
Trustpilot 4.9 / 5 623 reviews see the reviews

BrightLocal is one of the top-rated local SEO tools out there. With its help, you can easily manage your brand’s reputation and optimize your local search performance. For example, this tool is said to provide the most comprehensive local rank tracking. This way you get a complete picture of how your local business is perceived across different search engines.

Moreover, BrightLocal lets you acquire more reviews from your customers and respond to them quickly, no matter the platform the comments are posted on. This way you stay on top of your online reputation and ensure that the information is accurate.

As a bonus, this tool makes it easier for you to create customizable white-label reports. You may want to use this functionality as such detailed documents showcase your offer and skills that differentiate you from other local business owners.

Using BrightLocal as a Local SEO Tool helps you

  • manage your local SEO easily thanks to the comprehensive dashboard
  • audit existing citations and identify inconsistencies
  • be aware of what is being said about your business across the web thanks to the integration with major local data aggregators
  • benchmark against other local businesses due to the competitor analysis feature

Auditing your existing citations is just one thing that must be verified to ensure your local SEO efforts pay off. Other crucial elements that must be monitored regularly are listed in Improve Your Business with a Local SEO Audit Checklist.

Whitespark

? company website

Whitespark

?license 

some tools are free and may offer limited access (e.g. 3 searches per day), whereas others have to be purchased; the price per service ranges from $25-$200

⭐rating

G2 4.6 / 5 19 reviews see the reviews

 

Here’s another great local SEO tool you may consider having a go at. Among its features, there is one that helps you discover new citation opportunities. This tool goes through over 1,000 online platforms, review sites, and dictionaries to show you the places you may want to claim the spot.

Another thing that you can have done with Whitespark is citation auditing. This tool analyzes your mentions in order to identify any inconsistencies or misleading information. In general, it helps you build and manage your brand’s online reputation. Interestingly, Whitespark offers you a functionality called Net Promoter Score. It shows you how to take advantage of positive reviews for improved social proof.

Last but not least, with this tool, you receive a pretty wide range of “done for you” services, including citation building, local search performance tracking, and review strategy. You can even hire a Whitespark specialist to manage your entire local SEO campaign for you.

Using Whitespark as a Local SEO Tool helps you

  • discover new citation opportunities thanks to the Local Citation Finder tool
  • identify and fix incorrect business information across various directories
  • track and monitor citation growth over time
  • manage customer feedback thanks to the Reputation Builder feature

Yext

? company website

Yext

?license 

pricing plan ranges from $4 to $19 per week (billed annually)

⭐rating

G2 4.4 / 5 442 reviews see the reviews
GetApp 4.3 / 5 108 reviews see the reviews
Gartner Peer Insights 4.5 / 5 2 reviews see the reviews
Trustpilot 2.5 / 5 310 reviews see the reviews

Yext may be another tool to help you improve your online local presence. From one central platform, you can update and manage all your business information. This turns out to be immensely useful when you introduce some changes to your regular offer or opening hours frequently.

Additionally, this SEO tool allows you to monitor and respond in real-time to your online reviews, no matter the platform they are left on. Interestingly, Yext helps you ask for more feedback from your customers and clients by sending them emails or text messages.

That’s not all. Yext also makes it easier for you to optimize your landing pages for special events, limited-time offers, or seasonal services – basically whatever your local search strategy needs at a given time. This tool helps you revamp your pages by enriching the content with photos, videos, menus, and reviews. Naturally, Yext shows you how your updated landing pages perform in local search results.

In case you’re looking for some workable ideas for making your content stand out and attract your local audience, be sure to check Local SEO Content – How to Make Content for Local Business

Using Yext as a Local SEO Tool helps you

  • ensure accurate and consistent business information thanks to the Knowledge Graph
  • add real-time updates to listings across various platforms
  • track customer engagement and listing performance thanks to the in-built analytics feature
  • monitor reviews and feedback thanks to the integration with popular review sites

List of The Best Review Management Tools

Here is another group of local SEO tools that facilitate increasing customer trust, monitoring your brand’s online reputation, and improving your local search ranking.

GatherUp

? company website

GatherUp

?license 

pricing plan ranges from $25 monthly per location (101+ locations) to $99 monthly per location (1 location)

⭐rating

G2 4.4 / 5 44 reviews see the reviews
GetApp 4.6 / 5 11 reviews see the reviews

If you’re looking for a local SEO tool that helps you improve customer satisfaction, boosts your business online reputation, and facilitates managing customer feedback, then GatherUp may be your go-to. With a single tool, you can monitor and respond to 80+ online platforms (e.g. Yelp!, Google, Facebook). On top of that, you can create personalized AI-powered responses that are sent automatically – it’s called SmartReply. If you want to, you can even automate the process of transforming the feedback into social media content.

With GatherUp, you have the ability to use the received customer reviews to publish them on your website, social media, and other channels of your choice. Those can be displayed in the form of widgets. And the best thing is that those pop-ups are embedded with schema markups for better SEO.

There is yet another noteworthy feature included in this tool. GatherUp has reportedly one of the best customer feedback reporting suites. Thanks to metrics such as NPS, review volume, review sources, and sentiment (there is a lot more), you not only gain valuable insights into your customers’ preferences and pain points but you can also tag and categorize the feedback for easier management.

Using GatherUp as a Local SEO Tool helps you

  • automate review requests via email and text messages
  • monitor feedback across multiple platforms due to the in-built review feature
  • gain insights into customer feedback thanks to reporting and analytics features
  • customize widgets for showcasing positive reviews on your website and social media

Podium

? company website

Podium

?license 

pricing plan ranges from $249 to $599 per month

⭐rating

G2 4.5 / 5 1,312 reviews see the reviews
GetApp 4.3 / 5 465 reviews see the reviews
Gartner Peer Insight 4.7 / 5 3 reviews see the reviews
Trustpilot 2.5 / 5 16 reviews see the reviews

Here’s another local SEO tool that facilitates online businesses to collect, respond and monitor online feedback. It offers a number of automation solutions, such as review requests sent via text messages. Also, Podium allows you to send canned responses to your customers, at the same time directing them to the preferred review platforms.

One of the most impressive features is the Podium Webchat. It increases your chances of converting regular users into quality leads. This happens through engaging with your prospects in real-time by holding a conversation with them via text messages.

Additionally, Podium can be integrated with numerous analytical and marketing tools as well as social media platforms. This way you can manage your local SEO efforts and control your online popularity and brand reputation from a single dashboard. Detailed analytics and reporting definitely help you with that.

Using Podium as a Local SEO Tool helps you

  • manage reviews, messages, and feedback from multiple platforms thanks to a centralized inbox
  • automate review invitations and follow-ups
  • measure customer satisfaction thanks to the Sentiment Analysis feature
  • streamline communication thanks to integrations with popular messaging apps

Birdeye

? company website

Birdeye

?license 

pricing plan ranges from $299 to $399 per month; they also offer a custom pricing

⭐rating

G2 4.8 / 5 1,688 reviews see the reviews
GetApp 4.7 / 5 572 reviews see the reviews
Gartner Peer Insight 4.2 / 5 6 reviews see the reviews
Trustpilot 4.2 / 5 51 reviews see the reviews

 

If none of the above review management tools seem to be okay for your business, you may want to try Birdeye. Its range of features created to improve an online business reputation is pretty impressive. For example, this tool allows for making the process of review acquisition run on autopilot, which obviously saves you a lot of time.

It’s integrated with over 150 review platforms, meaning you can manage your customers’ feedback from a single dashboard. Birdeye sends you notifications whenever a new review is added to your business profile. If you feel like tracking your ratings, review sources, or their volume, you can access this data in Bieday as well.

Furthermore, this review management tool makes it easier for you to market customer feedback not only on your website but also across the preferred channels of communication. This, in turn, promotes customer engagement, increases brand awareness, and builds trust in your brand.

Using Birdeye as a Local SEO Tool helps you

  • monitor and manage online reviews
  • generate new reviews through automated review requests
  • identify customer trends thanks to sentiment analysis and natural language processing
  • customize review widgets through easy integration with popular CRM systems

List of the Best Local Rank Tracking Tools

Here is another set of local SEO tools you may consider introducing to your business strategy. When used correctly, local rank-tracking tools enable you to gain a competitive edge, improve your local search rankings and boost your brand’s online presence.

Ahrefs

? company website

Ahrefs Rank Tracker

?license 

pricing plan ranges from $99 to $999 per month

⭐rating

G2 4.6 / 5 461 reviews see the reviews
GetApp 4.7 / 5 505 reviews see the reviews
Gartner Peer Insight 4.5 / 5 34 reviews see the reviews
Trustpilot 1.8 / 5 185 reviews see the reviews

 

If you know something about SEO, you’ve probably already heard about Ahrefs. This do-it-all SEO tool provides comprehensive analyses of website performance, and this is what it’s mainly known for. However, Ahrefs can be also used as a local ranking tracking tool. Having access to a large database of keywords, you can use Ahrefs to track your local rankings across various search engines.

This tool makes it super easy to compare your local rankings against your competitors, helping you realize how your brand stacks up against them. It’s worth realizing that this feature may also help you discover some new opportunities for driving more foot traffic to your physical locations. Also, Ahrefs provides you with local search insights, meaning you get an idea of the current local search trends and customer behavior.

Local map tracking and integration with analytical tools (e.g. Google Search Console, Google Analytics) gives you a comprehensive view of your local SEO performance. You see your average position, traffic share, and estimated traffic generated by a given keyword. Ahrefs Rank Tracker even shows you the SERP features (featured snippets, local packs, and images) that appear for your local keywords.

Using Ahrefs as a Local SEO Tool helps you

  • monitor keyword rankings in specific locations thanks to the local rank tracker
  • perform SERP features analyses for understanding local search intent
  • run a competitor and keyword gap analysis
  • identify local link-building opportunities

SEMrush

? company website

SEMrush Local Rank Tracker

?license 

pricing plan ranges from $20 to $40 per month; there is also a free plan available but its functionality is limited

⭐rating

G2 4.5 / 5 1,724 reviews see the reviews
GetApp 4.7 / 5 2,000+ reviews see the reviews
Gartner Peer Insight 4.4 / 5 52 reviews see the reviews
Trustpilot 3.8 / 5 393 reviews see the reviews

 

SEMrush is another very powerful and popular SEO tool. It offers a wide range of features, one of which is a local rank tracker, which is available for purchase as a separate tool. When used for this specific purpose, SEMrush Local Rank Tracker allows you to do multiple things. For example, SEMrush has access to a comprehensive database of keywords, you can use it to track the search engine rankings of your business for a specific local keyword.

Additionally, SEMrush has the ability to track the rankings of your business on local maps. This is how you can discover whether you need to work on your visibility in local search results to drive more customers and clients to your place of business. What’s interesting, you can integrate SEMrush with popular SEO tools, such as Google Search Console.

Also, this tool gives you detailed insights into local search trends, which facilitates adjusting your local SEO strategy in real-time to the changing consumer behavior. Reaching your target audience is also made easier thanks to the customizable reports on local search rankings and performance.

Using SEMrush as a Local SEO Tool helps you

  • monitor local keyword rankings thanks to the position-tracking tool
  • analyze and evaluate your local search visibility and website performance
  • uncover growth opportunities by running local competitor analysis
  • improve local presence thanks to the listing management feature

SerpWatcher by Mangools

? company website

SERPWatcher

?license 

pricing plan ranges from $29.90 to $89.90 per month when choosing an annual plan

⭐rating

G2 4.6 / 5 45 reviews see the reviews
GetApp 4.7 / 5 66 reviews see the reviews
Trustpilot 4.6 / 5 72 reviews see the reviews

 

Mangools is another great SEO tools provider. Among its wide range of tools, there is SERPWarcher which lets you keep an eye on your local rankings. The search insights give you information about local search trends, which is extremely useful if you want to stay relevant for your prospects and simply keep up with their ever-changing demands.

What is more, this tool allows you to customize the reports. This facilitates you to find the right pieces of information on your local search ranking and website performance. Combine this with a user-friendly interface, and you get an incredibly easy-to-use local SEO tool.

SERPWatcher also helps you run a competitive analysis. This process lets you discover your strengths and weaknesses so that you can adjust your local SEO strategy for better local search rankings. Even the affordable pricing makes local business owners reach for this tool willingly.

Using SERPWatcher as a local SEO tool helps you

  • track local keyword rankings easily thanks to an intuitive interface
  • easily read the location-specific tracking reports thanks to the data visualization features
  • keep an eye on the performance metrics, such as estimated visits and keyword positions
  • gets in-depth insights thanks to the integration with other Mangools SEO tools

List of the Best On-Page SEO Optimization Tools

Using on-page SEO optimization tools in local SEO helps local businesses improve their website’s structure and content for higher visibility in local search results. This, in turn, increases the chances of attracting more local customers and contributes to the overall local SEO success.

Screaming Frog

? company website

Screaming Frog

?license 

there are two versions available: free and paid; the latter is $259 per year and offers a lot more functionality than the free version

⭐rating

G2 4.7 / 5 88 reviews see the reviews
GetApp 4.8 / 5 109 reviews see the reviews
Trustpilot 3.5 / 5 6 reviews see the reviews

 

Screaming Frog is a truly powerful SEO tool that can be used to improve local SEO. First of all, you may want to use it to crawl your website to identify the keywords you rank for in the local search results. This information allows you to optimize your site for these keywords to improve your local search visibility.

You can also audit your website’s structure (e.g. page titles, URLs, and meta descriptions) with Screaming Frog. This gives you an insight into the areas that require some improvements for higher visibility in local search. Interestingly, this tool is able to check local listings for NAP consistency. This also contributes to improved visibility.

Last but not least, with this tool, you can check if your local schema markups are implemented correctly, analyze your website speed and identify new local link-building opportunities. All of these elements have a big impact on your business’ local search visibility.

Using Screaming Frog as a local SEO tool helps you

  • crawl your website to identify on-page SEO issues that hinder your local SEO efforts
  • detect missing or duplicate metadata
  • analyze page titles, headings, and content for local optimization
  • monitor your local SEO performance thanks to the integration with Google Analytics

Yoast SEO

? company website

Yoast SEO

?license 

$99 per year for WordPress and $19 per month for Shopify; a free version is also available

⭐rating

G2 4.6 / 5 133 reviews see the reviews
GetApp 4.7 / 5 93 reviews see the reviews
Trustpilot 2.9 / 5 25 reviews see the reviews

 

Yoast SEO is a well-known and recognized SEO plugin for WordPress and Shopify. With its use, you can fix some technical issues that negatively affect your website ranking in local searches. For example, this plugin lets you customize your page titles and meta descriptions for improved local search visibility.

Additionally, Yoast SEO helps you analyze and later optimize your web content. This way you know whether your content requires some work in terms of readability, structure, and local keyword usage. It also allows you to verify if your website features some broken links.

Since most local search is made on mobile devices, it’s extremely important to get your website mobile-friendly. Yoast SEO helps you verify whether your site loads fast on mobile devices. It also checks your local schema markups. This way you make sure that search engines have no problems identifying you as a local business, and therefore keep displaying your place whenever a prospect is looking for your service or products in your area.

Using Yoast SEO as a local SEO tool helps you

  • optimize your website for local keywords
  • improve readability and web content for higher local visibility
  • generate XML sitemaps and manage local schema markup
  • deal with most local SEO issues on your own thanks to the integration with popular content management systems like WordPress

SEOptimer

? company website

SEOptimer

?license 

pricing plan ranges from $19 to $59 per month

⭐rating

G2 4.7 / 5 170 reviews see the reviews
GetApp 4.5 / 5 2 reviews see the reviews
Trustpilot 3.2 / 5 11 reviews see the reviews

SEOptimer is a website audit tool that helps you identify on-page issues with your website that has a negative impact on your local SEO. If you miss some title tags or if they are poorly optimized, SEOptimer will inform you about those problems. It also helps you optimize your web content for local keywords to promote better local visibility.

Interestingly, this tool helps you understand how well-optimized your website is for local search by giving you a local SEO score as a reference. This metric is based on various factors, including the number of citations and reviews, on-page optimization, and mobile-friendliness.

The reports generated by SEOptimizer are easy-to-understand. This way you get a clear picture of where your local business is, and what changes need to be made to make the most out of your local SEO strategy. This is made easier thanks to an actionable list of recommendations and suggestions given by the tool.

Using SEOptimer as a local SEO tool helps you

  • identify on-page improvement opportunities thanks to the SEO audit feature
  • analyze metadata, headings, and content for local SEO optimization
  • evaluate and improve your website performance
  • generate white-label reporting
You can also try out our on-page SEO checklist – it’s a free SEO resource that will help you boost your online visibility!

Summary – Local Keyword Research Tools for Effective Local SEO Strategy

Building your local SEO strategy by just following your gut feeling may not give you the desired results. Actually, it may cause more harm than good. You need actionable insights, accurate data, and meaningful reports not only to identify opportunities but also to make well-informed business decisions. Only the best local SEO tools are able to provide you with the particulars and inputs necessary to make the most out of your local SEO efforts.

In other words, if you want to establish a strong online presence in your local market, there is no other way to do it but to utilize in your local SEO strategy all the valuable and key insights provided by local SEO tools.

When it comes to choosing the best local SEO tool, unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Since the majority of those tools are paid, you need to assess their specific features and confront them with your current business needs and goals. The good news though is that some of the best local SEO tools offer free trials – keep this in mind before committing to a purchase.

Finally, there is one more thing worth realizing – staying updated on the latest trends and strategies. No matter if you do local SEO for e-commerce or services, you must be aware of the search engine updates, changes in algorithms, as well as your industry’s best practices, and, of course, your target audience behavior changes.

In case you still feel lost among this wide range of local SEO tools, don’t worry. Let our Specialists advise you on the best local SEO practices. They will help you with technical optimization, local link building, and review management. Basically, they will do whatever is necessary to promote your local business online.

Author
Wojciech Urban SEO R&D Specialist
Author
Wojciech Urban

SEO R&D Specialist

R&D specialist in SEO and web analytics. He feels most comfortable in the area of technical SEO, and his main task is to ensure that websites are optimized for search engines and achieve high rankings in search results.

Author
Wojciech Urban SEO R&D Specialist
Author
Wojciech Urban

SEO R&D Specialist

R&D specialist in SEO and web analytics. He feels most comfortable in the area of technical SEO, and his main task is to ensure that websites are optimized for search engines and achieve high rankings in search results.